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thomas davison

Plans to allow gay marriages 'could force Church to split from the state' for first time in 500 years
By Steve Doughty
PUBLISHED: 00:52, 12 June 2012 | UPDATED: 07:48, 12 June 2012

Warning: Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, pictured reading the service of thanksgiving for the Diamond Jubilee, has expressed concern at the proposal
A law to allow same-sex weddings will destroy the institution of marriage for future generations, leaders of the Church of England warned yesterday.

They claim it will lead to a constitutional crisis, arguing that human rights legislation will force churches to treat gay couples asking for a wedding in the same way they treat heterosexual couples.

The Church of England�s warning comes in response to the Government�s consultation on legalising same-sex marriage, which will close this week.

The proposed reforms, formally launched in March, have been described by Church officials as �half-baked�, �very shallow�, �superficial� and �completely irrational�.

They claim the change will lead to the Church separating itself from civil law and leaders say this raises the prospect of �disestablishment�.

This would entail the cutting of ties between Church and state that have lasted for nearly 500 years, threatening a series of major consequences.

These include the end of the universal right of everyone in the country to marry in their local parish church, to the removal of the Queen from her place as Supreme Governor of the Church.

Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams and Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu wrote to Home Secretary Theresa May, saying the plans �have not been thought through and are not legally sound�.
Church leaders have written to Home Secretary Theresa May objecting to the proposals and dismissed claims by Prime Minister David Cameron that churches would not be forced to carry out gay marriages

They also dismissed as worthless reassurances from Prime Minister David Cameron that no church will be compelled to provide such ceremonies.

In the letter they stated: �Assurances that the freedom of the churches and other religious organisations would be safeguarded are of limited value given that once the law was changed the key decisions would be for domestic and European courts.�

COUPLE MAKE HISTORY A gay couple have made history by becoming the first in the UK to celebrate a civil partnership in a religious building.

Kieran Bohan and Warren Hartley signed the register at Liverpool�s Unitarian Church on the day of their blessing.

The church received final confirmation from Liverpool council that it could register civil partnerships just a week before the couple�s big day.

The legislation to allow religious buildings to host civil ceremonies was implemented in December.

Mr Hartley, 36, an administrator, and Mr Bohan, 41, who runs a youth group, have been together for four and a half years. They had originally planned to go to the register office the day before the blessing.

Mr Hartley said: �Bringing the two elements together means we are able to celebrate our love for each other and our love of God.�
The Church�s protest is based on legal opinions saying that under European human rights law, marriage must be equally open to everyone.

Precedents established in Strasbourg say if a country allows gay marriage, then gay couples must have full equality in marriage law.

Church leaders say this means that Church laws which do not allow same-sex couples to marry can no longer remain the law of the land, as they are now. Nor will churches continue to be able to offer marriage to everyone.
The constitutional implication is that the Church, whose laws have been laws of the land since Henry VIII declared himself its head in 1534, will have to cut itself away from the state.

One of the bishops who prepared the Church�s protest, the Bishop of Leicester, the Right Reverend Tim Stevens, said yesterday: �Marriage is not the property of the Church any more than it is the property of the Government. It is about a mutually faithful physical relationship between a man and a woman.

�If you do what the Government say they are going to do, you can no longer define marriage in that way. It becomes hollowed out, and about a relationship between two people, to be defined on a case-by-case basis.�

Ben Summerskill, of gay rights pressure group Stonewall, said: �There is manifestly no evidence that the recognition of long-term same-sex relationships has any impact on the institution of marriage for heterosexuals.�

Campaigner Peter Tatchell said: �It is absurd to suggest that allowing same-sex civil marriages would lead to legal challenges that could force churches to marry gay couples.

�Civil divorces are legal, yet there has never been a successful legal challenge to religious organisations that ban divorce.

�The courts recognise a distinction between civil and religious institutions.

Marriage is for a man and a woman. Gay couples can receive a blessing for their partnership in a church, at the discretion of the minister, but they should never be able to marry. This should never be a political matter nor should politicians be trying to push change when there's no public demand. Assurances from politicians about freedom of ministers to choose to officiate at gay weddings aren't worth the paper they're not written on. The Home Secretary would do well to concentrate on removing illegal and criminal immigrants and keeping other promises.

2Anne · Joined: 04 May 2008 Posts: 399 Location: Norfolk

Its amazing that Gays and their filthy,perverted, vice ridden agenda are now set to destroy marriage and the established church.
Why they are given so much prominince is beyond me.
Their horrible lifestyle of anal bonking is promoted to young children in schools and they are riddled with STD's.
The UK and other countries who embrace gays will pay a huge price.
God destroyed Soddom and Gommorah and once the Gay agenda is accepted by the state the country is cursed by God.